Potty Training HELP!!!

Re: Potty Training HELP!!!

• j-redd222 member

  August 2025

  What worked really well for my when I was potty training my kids was a potty timer and a reward system. We made a really big deal every time they successfully peed or pooped on the potty (potty dance and song celebration, a special treat or prize, etc.) as they got better at going on the potty, we kept a sticker chart that led to a prize. We went to the dollar store, let them pick out some things they'd want to get as prizes and put them in a big bin to pick from once they got enough stickers for their prize. It was fun for them to put on the sticker (immediate reward) and they had something they really wanted to look forward to for consistency. 
  
  I would use a potty timer at first and didn't allow using the bathroom to be optional. When the timer went off, they say on the potty for a set amount of time and we're encouraged to let out anything that was in them. When they inevitably wouldn't want to, I would explain that letting out their potty was part of being healthy and keeping their body safe and protecting their health is not optional. I didn't get much push back after they knew I meant what I said. 
  
  I would typically give a larger reward for a poop since they happen less often and I've heard of kids struggling more with pooping on the potty than peeing on the potty. (Two stickers instead of one, a bigger treat or one that they enjoy more, etc). I altered the reward systems slightly for each of my kids based on what motivates them and what they enjoy. 
  
  I hope this helps! Good luck!

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• burningbagel member

  March 1 edited March 1

  Our daughter was great on the potty with the timer system, but never for poops. Poops were tricky. She also hid. What worked for us was learning when she usually pooped and making her sit on the toilet for 5 min during those times and if she did poop giving her 2 M&Ms or a dumdum lollipop. She doesn't usually get candy so this worked for us after a month+ of catching her pooping all over the house. *big sigh** Maybe trying some kind of reward system that really motivates your kid. Feel free to switch it up. Eventually my daughter would ask for ice cream after she pooped so we gave her a spoonful for poops. This all stopped about 3 months into the "training" and we just stopped offering her rewards and she eventually forgot to ask. We'd never say no to a reward but we might only give her a bite of ice cream or 1 M&M. 
  
  It was tough and nothing fun or easy about it. Eventually, even against what some say, we would do big praises and when her dad got home from work we'd tell him and make a big deal of it (think wows and good jobs). Truly took time and patience and a lot of foresight on my part. She was 2.5yo when we started and we've had minimal accidents of any kind after 2+ months into our training. Since that we just take her to the bathroom with us when we go in public (like make her try) and then remind her when she's playing by asking. If it's been more than 4 hours since the last bathroom break, then I'll ask her to try to sit on the toilet. 90% of the time she goes then. Poops have been easy for her to predict now. She also seems to pee then 5-10 min later go back to poop. This is during more fun play times that she doesn't want to get away from. She's 3.5 now. 
  
  Hope something clicks! This isn't unusual it seems for toddlers to be afraid of pooping on toilets. I read somewhere that sometimes they see the poop as a part of themselves and the toilet is a big scary thing. Who knows though?

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